1998...
The events in Raccoon City. I'll never forget them. There are things that can never be forgotten, and that nightmare is one of them. Who could have imagined that something like that is even possible? The whole city was infested with monsters literally in one flash, it was like Hell had arrived on earth. I've never seen such creatures before in my life. But the most terrifying fact was that nearly all of them had been human before, which meant that this was some kind of infection that caused such extreme mutations. And when the truth came out, then no wonder why all of this was happening. The pharmaceutical corporation known as "Umbrella" was behind this mess. They were responsible for the creature infestation as each of them was the host of so-called T-virus, created by Umbrella's insane scientists. Zombies, those four-legged and skinless creatures with long tongues and open brains, huge spiders... God, I have a feeling that I'll never be free from the nightmares about all of this when I go to sleep. My luck was to stumble on a rookie police officer Leon Kennedy and a young woman named Claire Redfield that came to Raccoon City to search for her brother. The three of us did our best to survive. And then this sweet little girl with blonde hair... what was her name again? Oh yeah, Sherry. We had to take care of her as she was chased by two horrible beings at once -- her mutated father, William Birkin, and a tall humanoid in a trench coat. The first one's purpose was to breed, although I don't know how he planned to achieve it, but the second was tasked to get a sample of a new virus, developed by Sherry's father. The thing was that this sample was hidden in a pendant that Sherry wore on her neck. Lucky we managed to get rid of that after we found out about it from Annette Birkin, Sherry's mother, and Claire threw the pendant into the furnace. At least from one monster Sherry could get rid of.
But one creature disturbed me the most. Yes, the one that was tasked to get the G-virus sample from Sherry and eliminate the remaining police officers from the Raccoon Police Department. With that purpose he was dropped through the roof from a helicopter. Although in that police station there was no one to annihilate anymore, as they all turned into zombies. Well, except for Leon Kennedy, of course, but he was a new one and couldn't know much at that moment. But, new or not, the monster, or, if we call it correctly, a Tyrant, didn't care. He was given a mission and he would do anything to complete it. Funny thing that Leon nicknamed him "Trenchy", as the creature wore a long, dark grey trench coat. From all the monsters that we encountered, he was the creepiest, at least for me. It might seem strange as his appearance was the least grotesque of all, but there was something about him that made me shiver. You would ask -- why was he the most disturbing for me? Well, I'll explain. The reason I've just mentioned is not the main one. It was his behaviour towards me. If Leon or Claire encountered him, he tried to kill them with his bare fists, as he lacked the claws or any other weapon. But every time he noticed me, his attention was switched to me at once, even pushing his main task aside. This smirk on his face and the look in his white, lifeless eyes... it was hunger, so much I could say. Whether it was hunger for flesh or something else, I didn't care. All I wanted to keep myself as far as possible from this creepy mutant.
Somehow we managed to escape the city by train, of course, nothing was as easy as we could expect. That damn Dr. Birkin, that had mutated into some ugly, toothy blob, tried to stop the train. It was indeed one hell of hard work to get rid of him, but we finally did it. After we got out and bid farewell to each other, Claire continued searching for her brother and Leon took Sherry with him and went his own way. I, in turn, set purpose to reach my own home while it was still daytime. Later I heard on TV that the government found out about Umbrella's illegal experiments with the B.O.W.'s and their stock fell rapidly. Umbrella was finished. And thank God, it served them right. The President gave an order to wipe the city from the face of Earth and with that, the Raccoon City stopped its existence. It was destroyed by bombs totally, together with all its monsters.
Now, when a year has passed since all that nightmare, there was finally peace and silence. I haven't heard anything about Claire and whether she succeeded in finding her brother. As for Leon, I've heard rumors that now he worked as a government agent. Well, good for him, I guess, although I have no idea whether he's happy with his new job or not. I haven't met him personally since we parted a year ago. I'm sure both he and Claire also are unable to forget everything we have gone through together. I still see that city in my nightmares and all those Umbrella's creations. But this Tyrant in a trench coat... I still laugh every time I remember Leon nicknaming him "Trenchy". Really, a funny name for such a monster like him, although it was difficult to think of something else that would fit him, and there was no time to think anyway. And... I don't know why, but I can't stop thinking about him. That look on his face... I can't forget it. This monster has burnt into my mind and memory more than anything else I experienced in Raccoon City. Sometimes I even feel that I want to see him again. What the hell is wrong with me?! This Tyrant, the merciless killer that wouldn't think twice before murdering me, and yet deep inside I wish I saw him again. I guess my psyche is a bit damaged, but that's expectable. Each person, if he or she was unlucky enough to be in my place (or Leon's and Claire's) would be affected by such a terrible experience, but we were strong enough not to suffer a nervous breakdown. And if my psyche is damaged, it resulted in me wanting, sometimes desperately, to see one of Umbrella's monsters again. Needless to say that now and then my wishes and thoughts turn into rather dirty fantasies, and I'm embarrassed myself when thinking of it. But it's not possible in any case, as Raccoon City has been destroyed with all the creatures, including that Tyrant.
Time passed peacefully and one morning, when I left home for work as usual, I have a strange feeling, you know, like something is going to happen, but didn't know what. I tried to dismiss it, but it kept coming back and back again. I remembered the warning -- never ignore your gut instinct, and if something deep inside you says something is not right, trust it. This feeling didn't leave me all the day long, and it was really annoying when you don't know what to await. Seriously, what could happen? Could it be that another virus outbreak is coming? Damn, I hope not. If something of Umbrella survived, they wouldn't come out that soon, because the damage the corporation got was irreparable. No, there is something else, but what? Hell knows, I just have to think of something different and occupy myself with work to get distracted from these paranoid thoughts.
I usually finish work around seven o'clock and today was no exception. As it was summer and it doesn't get dark early, I decided to walk home. Besides, I don't live that far from the city center, although the area where I own a house looks more like suburbia, and after a few more meters there was a wooded area. At least it's always peaceful there which makes me happy, as I can get peaceful sleep at night without annoying noises like ambulance sirens or just the sound of engine when cars pass your place non-stop. I was satisfied with life in that area.
As I approached my house, I saw Anne, a neighbour and a good friend of mine, peeking out of the door in fear. That seemed strange to me, as she wasn't one of those who can get scared easily, so I was curious to find out what happened.
"Hey, Anne, how's going today?" I said loudly so she could hear me.
"Oh, hi! Thank God you're fine!" she sighed in relief.
"Why? What's wrong? You look frightened."
"Yeah, I sure am, but I wouldn't like to scare you too much..."
"Oh, come on, are you serious?" I huffed. "You're telling me that? After all that I've gone through in Raccoon City I highly doubt that something can scare me. So come inside for a cup of tea and calm down."
"Alright, thanks," she smiled and followed me inside.
"Which tea would you like?" I asked.
"Jasmine, if you have one."
"Sure thing," I nodded and began warming up the water. "So tell me, what is this all about?"
"Haven't you heard the news today?"
"No, I didn't really have time for listening the radio or whatever, I was too busy, much work today. And what was on the news?"
Anne cleared her throat and began explaining:
"You know, at first I didn't believe it, thinking that it was some kind of a hoax, but later I wasn't so sure. They said there was some kind of a strange humanoid seen in our area."